This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Many motor vehicles now come equipped with some variation of a camera and sensor system to provide real-time monitoring or viewing of an area near the motor vehicle. For example, cameras, sensors, or both are often positioned on the front of the vehicle or on the rear of the motor vehicle. The cameras and sensors can detect the areas surrounding the vehicle that may or may not be otherwise viewable with the conventional mirrors. Such cameras and sensors can be used to assist the vehicle operator in parking or maneuvering the vehicle during normal operation, for example.
To provide a consistent field of view, many camera and sensor systems do not include a cover and are fixedly directed at the space they are intended to monitor. Uncovered cameras and sensors are prone to damage from environmental conditions and exposure, including damage from dirt and stone chipping, and also from human intervention, including theft.
To better protect the camera, sensor, or other device, a deployable system may be utilized. In a deployable system, the sensor, camera, or other suitable device, may utilize an electric motor to drive the system between an open or “deployed” position and a closed or “stowed” position. The motor may be linked to a set of gears to provide a speed and torque realignment and a set of links and/or cams to provide the motion to activate the desired deployment and stowing of the camera or sensor. The system may be activated by various actions of a vehicle user. For example, to deploy the system, the vehicle user may place a gear selector into a reverse position, which may activate the electric motor in a first direction. To stow the system, the vehicle user may place the gear selector into a park, neutral, or drive position, which may activate the electric motor in a second direction opposite the first direction.
While conventional deployable systems adequately move a camera or sensor between a stowed position and a deployed position, such systems do not provide for manual operation of the system. As such, maintaining the sensor or camera is difficult, as such sensors and cameras are typically only in the deployed position when a vehicle in which the sensor or camera is installed is being operated (i.e., when the vehicle is operated in reverse). As such, a user of the vehicle cannot easily repair, clean, or otherwise access the camera or sensor of a conventional deployable system for maintenance or otherwise.